Semin appointed at Dynamo Kyiv

Former Russia coach Yuri Semin will take over at the helm of FC Dynamo Kyiv when the players return from their winter break on 8 January.

Cup success
Semin was unveiled by club president Igor Surkis at a press conference following Dynamo's 3-0 win against SC Tavriya Simferopol that took them into the Ukraine Cup semi-finals, recovering from a two-goal first-leg deficit. The new coach, who guided FC Lokomotiv Moskva to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals in 1999, has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Experienced coach
The 60-year-old Semin played for FC Spartak Moskva, Lokomotiv Moskva, FC Dinamo Moskva, FC Kuban Krasnodar and FC Kairat Almaty before switching to a coaching role in 1983 when he took charge of FC Pamir Dushanbe. During his spell as Loko's boss between 1983 and 2005, he won the league title twice and claimed the Russian Cup four times. He then took the helm of Russia's national side but failed to reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing third in their qualifying group.

Fourth leader
Taking over a team third in the league at the winter break, Semin's first fixture when the competition resumes will be at leaders FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 1 March, as they attempt to close a four-point gap. Semin will be Dynamo's fourth coach this season after Anatoliy Demyanenko, József Szabó and caretaker Oleh Luzhny, who will continue on the bench when Dynamo play their final UEFA Champions League Group F fixture away to Sporting Clube de Portugal on Wednesday, with their hopes of progress in Europe already dashed. Dynamo defender Goran Gavrančić said: "I am a professional and I have to play under any coach. The most important thing is to have stability and to win games."